RIYADH: The Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen accused regional actors on Thursday of helping the Houthis acquire advanced military technologies, while Riyadh pointed the finger at Tehran for encouraging an escalation in the long-running conflict.

The accusations came as the Houthis fired missiles at the presidential palace complex in Yemen`s southern city of Aden on Thursday, killing at least four people, while the coalition detailed dozens of cross-border strikes on Saudi infrastructure.

During a briefing in Riyadh, coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said the Houthis had worked with unidentified regional actors to obtain advanced weaponry, including ballis-tic missiles, attack and suicide drones, and fast explosive-laden boats.

While al-Malki did not name the countries involved, Saudi Arabia`sdeputy minister for public diplomacy at the foreign ministry pointed the finger directly at Tehran during a separate virtual briefing with reporters.

`Iran continues to arm, train and support the Houthis in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, Dr Rayed Krimly said. `We think that the escalation by the Houthis at this latest stage of the conflict is encouraged by Iran.`Overall, it doesn`t seem yet that the Iranians are able to provide the necessary concessions for a solution,` Krimly said.

He also accused the Houthis of refusing to attend peace talks in Oman as fighting ramped up.

`At the beginning of this escalation, we asked them to meet in Muscat, Oman, and they refused,` he added.

`This was the last communication which happened a few weeks ago.

Aden attack On the ground in Yemen, Houthi forces struck the Al-Maashig presidential palace in Aden, the seat of Yemen`s Saudi-backed and internationally recognised government.

It was the first attack on the com-plex since Yemen`s civil war flared back to life in July following the collapse of a 2022 UN-brokered truce.

Yemeni government sources said at least four people were killed and 10 wounded in the strikes, while officials told Reuters that two guards were among the dead. Witnesses reported hearing loud booms and seeing smoke rise from the site.

Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said the prime minister and cabinet members were safe following the attack, which involved five missiles and drones.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had bombed what he described as a Saudi military operations headquarters and weapons depots run by Saudiofficers inside the palace complex, calling it part of a policy of targeting `Saudi reinforcements wherever they were located`.

Yemeni government forces added that the Houthis also fired several ballistic missiles at the central oilrich city of Marib on Thursday, while residents in Taiz, Yemen`s third-largest city, reported intensifying bombardment and dwindling supplies.

Al-Malki told reporters the Houthis had launched 20 attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in October alone, killing 17 people and wounding 333 others.

`The Houthis must immediately cease all terrorist operations targeting civilians and civilian facilities, including airports, ports, oil facilities, and infrastructure,` al-Malki said.

Earlier on Thursday, the coalition said it intercepted and destroyed Houthi drones launched toward Saudi Arabia`s southern region and the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, after civil defence authorities issued a brief early-warning alert in the southern province of Najran.

Al-Malki also announced on the social platform X that coalition forces had achieved the `interception and destruction of a cruise missile in the Madina region`.

The Houthis quickly denied targeting the region, but Saree warned airlines that Saudi airspace and airports were unsafe.

`The Yemeni armed forces confirm that they have not carried out any operation today targeting Saudi territory, and that the Saudi enemy`s claims of an attack on Madina are a shameless and brazen lie,` he wrote on X.

Pakistan condemns attacks At the United Nations on Thursday, Pakistan strongly condemned the Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia`s civilian and economic infrastructure.

Speaking at a UN Security Council debate on the Middle East, Ambassador Usman Jadoon demanded an immediate end to the strikes and backed the UN special envoy`s efforts to resume dialogue in Yemen.

`We reiterate our unwavering support for the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the brotherly Kingdom, and reaffirm its right to self-defence under international law against any external attacks, Jadoon said.

France`s ambassador, Jérôme Bonnafont, also cited Tehran`s support for the Houthis as a destabilising regional activity during the debate and reaffirmed solidarity with Saudi and Yemeni authorities as the council considered a presidential statement on the escalation.

-Agencies / Anwar Iqbal